Is it easier to get a YA novel published than a picture book?
- Thread starter jasperd
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First off, I'm just a publishing student so I may be wrong 
Anyway, so, picture books can be very expensive to produce (you want better quality paper, lots of colored ink and it has to be solid so it doesn't crumble between little hands). I think most publishers would rather commission picture books from authors and illustrators they trust. Not to say that they don't acquire from new people as well.
YA novels are easier to get published in that way. Not that it is easy.
In either case, like in most publishing, the advances are not great. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the advance. For a first time novelist, they're gonna be laughably low. Just as well, makes it easier to earn out on royalties which is very good for your future prospects.
Anyway, so, picture books can be very expensive to produce (you want better quality paper, lots of colored ink and it has to be solid so it doesn't crumble between little hands). I think most publishers would rather commission picture books from authors and illustrators they trust. Not to say that they don't acquire from new people as well.
YA novels are easier to get published in that way. Not that it is easy.
In either case, like in most publishing, the advances are not great. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the advance. For a first time novelist, they're gonna be laughably low. Just as well, makes it easier to earn out on royalties which is very good for your future prospects.
From what I understand, picture books tend to pay lower advances and I think royalties (not sure about that one though) which is why agents don't usualy rep them. Novels typically pay more on both sides. YA typically pays less than adult fiction, though YA has been profitable recently since it's been a hot topic for a few years. I've been hearing that this is on the downslope now. I suspect another genre/market will become hot and they'll get all the money for a while.
Any advance is based on how good the book is, how much the publisher thinks they'll make off the book, and what the budget is. It varries wildly. There have been picture books that earned a bigger advance than novels, and vice versa. First-time author doesn't really play that much into it. I was a first-time author and I got a six-figure advance.
You have the same odds of getting published no matter what you publish. If the book is good, your odds are high, if not, your odds are low. With picture books, you can approach publishers directly, where with novels, you're better off (IMHO) having an agent first. Agents will get you bigger advances, and they know all the publishing stuff you don't.
Don't write what you think will make you the most money. Write what you feel passionate about. If you love PBs, then do them. If you love YA, do that. Do both if you love them equally. But don't write for a market just because you read it's hot and easy to get published there. If you don't know the market and genre, the chances of you understanding what makes a good book in that genre are slim.
Any advance is based on how good the book is, how much the publisher thinks they'll make off the book, and what the budget is. It varries wildly. There have been picture books that earned a bigger advance than novels, and vice versa. First-time author doesn't really play that much into it. I was a first-time author and I got a six-figure advance.
You have the same odds of getting published no matter what you publish. If the book is good, your odds are high, if not, your odds are low. With picture books, you can approach publishers directly, where with novels, you're better off (IMHO) having an agent first. Agents will get you bigger advances, and they know all the publishing stuff you don't.
Don't write what you think will make you the most money. Write what you feel passionate about. If you love PBs, then do them. If you love YA, do that. Do both if you love them equally. But don't write for a market just because you read it's hot and easy to get published there. If you don't know the market and genre, the chances of you understanding what makes a good book in that genre are slim.
The royalties on PB are split between the writer and illustrater, so they're already cut in half before the agent could even get their cut.
Go over to the Ask the Agent threads and read Jennifer Laughran's posts. She will answer some of these questions for you.
Recently she pointed out that agents/editors are seeing WAY more YA than MG (she doesn't rep PB, so didn't include that). You can figure that if more people submit YA, the competition is fierce. So if you submit an almost-but-not-quite-ready book, forget it. They get to be picky.
I think the same is probably true for PBs. There are so many really good, reliable, prolific authors already turning out a new book or two every year, and has been pointed out already PBs are expensive to produce, so why should anyone consider yours if it isn't fantastic?
So--easier? Nope. Neither one is easy. Not even remotely easy. Super-duper impossibly hard, actually. If you want easy, try selling kitsch on ebay instead.
As to the other question--yes, novels (YA or any other) will in general get a bigger advance than a PB. But the advance is always an indication of how much the publisher thinks they're going to make, so again, writing a really, really good book increases your chances of making some money.
Recently she pointed out that agents/editors are seeing WAY more YA than MG (she doesn't rep PB, so didn't include that). You can figure that if more people submit YA, the competition is fierce. So if you submit an almost-but-not-quite-ready book, forget it. They get to be picky.
I think the same is probably true for PBs. There are so many really good, reliable, prolific authors already turning out a new book or two every year, and has been pointed out already PBs are expensive to produce, so why should anyone consider yours if it isn't fantastic?
So--easier? Nope. Neither one is easy. Not even remotely easy. Super-duper impossibly hard, actually. If you want easy, try selling kitsch on ebay instead.
As to the other question--yes, novels (YA or any other) will in general get a bigger advance than a PB. But the advance is always an indication of how much the publisher thinks they're going to make, so again, writing a really, really good book increases your chances of making some money.
jasperd,
I think you're asking all the wrong questions.
Instead of:
is it easier... and
will I make more money if...
you should be asking...
where do my passions lead me?
what do I enjoy reading the most?
what sort of writing flows from me?
The rest will take care of itself.
Jim
I think you're asking all the wrong questions.
Instead of:
is it easier... and
will I make more money if...
you should be asking...
where do my passions lead me?
what do I enjoy reading the most?
what sort of writing flows from me?
The rest will take care of itself.
Jim
Ditto with the posts above, especially for the monetary reasons Danthia lists. It seems to be the consensus from what I've heard at a couple of SCBWI conferences that, because of the extra costs going into picture books for color prints and better paper, not to mention a smaller market and the royalties being split by authors and illustrators, YA sells better and is easier to get published.
Even the added competition of all the submissions into the YA genre is not much more of a hindrance because of lower production costs. MG is probably easier to get published in right now over YA and picture books--several agents/editors have mentioned a need for MG.
Even the added competition of all the submissions into the YA genre is not much more of a hindrance because of lower production costs. MG is probably easier to get published in right now over YA and picture books--several agents/editors have mentioned a need for MG.
I definitely agree with Jimmer. Don't worry about what will make you more money, worry about what you enjoy writing.
That being said, I have been to a few Children's Writing conferences, and several agents and editors said they have seen a dip in the number of picture books published in a year. So, a YA or MG might be an easier sell.
James Mascia
www.islandofdren.com
That being said, I have been to a few Children's Writing conferences, and several agents and editors said they have seen a dip in the number of picture books published in a year. So, a YA or MG might be an easier sell.
James Mascia
www.islandofdren.com